Shipping container



Jan. 19, 1937. J.R.M1| ER 068,064

y SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed May 4, 1956. z sheets-sheet 2 I u :f' 2PZ?2,18 s -1- .Z' 1 #fg T 2 ja 19 i f l l Y I Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITEDSTATES PATENT SHIPPING CONTAINER ration of Alabama Application May 4,1936, Serial No. 77.699

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements ininterior blocking of shippingcontainers and particularly folding Wire-bound box constructionsarranged for assembly at the time they are packed.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improvedarrangement of bracing or blocking for supporting material or objectspacked in shipping containers; to provide a simplied arrangement ofblocking that can more readily be assembled in a shipping container; tosupport an article when the same is packed; to provide a simplifiedarrangement of blocking that can be assembled in units prior to thepacking of a shipping container and rigidly mounted therein without theuse of nails or other fastening devices; to provide an improvedcombination of shipping container and interior blocking that can becompletely assembled Without the use of tools or nails and the like; andto provide an improved combination with a shipping container of blockingor bracing arranged to interlt with portions of the shipping containerstructure and be securely held in place without the use of fasteningmeans.

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is aperspective view of a wire-bound shipping container havingits top` open and sho-wing the improved blocking or bracing in place.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the primary frame unit of theblocking.

Fig. 3 is a. perspective view illustrating a preassembled blocking unitarranged to cooperate with the frame unit shown in Fig. 2.

FigJl is al sectional View of a shipping container showing the improvedblocking units partly in section and partially inserted into thecontainer, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a shipping container with its top closedand the blocking units locked in place.

As shown in the drawings, the improved blocking arrangement comprisespreassembled blocking units arranged to be slidably intertted with andheld in place by transversely extending cleats comprising a part of ashipping container structure, the blocking or bracing units being ofpredetermined size and form to fit within the container and coact witheach other to properly secure an article or articles packed therein.

As shown, the shipping container is a wirebound box constructioncomprising a top panel I, side panels 2 and 3 and a bottom panel 4disposed between the side panels, the several panels being suitablyspaced apart to permit their being folded into rectangular form andbeing tied together by a plurality of Wire bindings 5.

The several panels are reinforced by means of a plurality of cleats 6extending transversely of the panels along their end edges and in serieswith each other, and a series of transversely extending cleats 'ldisposed at a predetermined position intermediate the ends of thepanels.

The ends of each of the cleats oneach panel are mitered, as shown, so asto coact to form square-cornered joints when the panels are folded toassemble the box; and suitable end panels 3 are provided to close theends of the construction as shown in Fig. l, the end panels 8 beingpositioned against the inner side of the end cleats 6 and suitablysecured by means, not shown.

The type of box construction shown is well known and is commonlydesignated as a wirebound box. In the present invention, however, thelocation of the series of intermediate cleats l is deiinitelypredetermined in accordance with the nature of the article orv articlesto be packed Within the container and which require internal bracing o-rblocking for their proper support, the intermediate cleats l beingpositioned at the point where the desired blocking or bracing is to beplaced. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, there will be, at the location of thedesired blocking, a series of internal cleats or reinforcing membersextending transversely around the walls of the container.

The improved blocking, according to the present invention comprises asupporting framework made up of one or more pre-assembled units arrangedto be interlockingly interfitted with each 'f' other and with theintermediate cleat members 'i of the container to provide a rigid andfixed bulkhead tting around and supporting the article packed within thecontainer.

An illustrative example of an article thus supported is not shown forthe reason that the blocking units may, in accordance with thisinvention, be arranged to support articles of substantially any form orshape and may be constructed to any suitable plan convenient forassembly into a container with the article being packed.

A particular improvement comprised in this invention is the arrangementwhereby the blocking units, comprising the supporting bulkhead,

are rigidly interlocked with the transversely extending series ofintermediate cleats l. This arrangement is clearly shown in Figs. 2 to 5inclusive wherein the invention is embodied in an illustrative blockingor framing construction.

In the blocking shown, the primary unit is a frame, illustrated in Fig.2, comprising a pair of parallel vertical members 9 spaced apart so thatthe distance between their outer surfaces will be substantially theinternal width of the container in which they are to be placed. Thesemembers are tied together in the unit by a transverse cross-piece io,positioned adjacent the lower ends of the members il, or whereverconvenient with reference to the article to be supported. As shown inFig. 2 each end of the members 9 and the outer sides thereof areprovided with transverse and longitudinal grooves II and I2 respectivelywhich are of such depth and width as to wholly receive the cleats l.

This frame unit is positioned in the assembled container while the topof the container is open and before the article to be supported isplaced therein. The frame unit is dropped into place from the open topof the container by fitting the cleats l, on the sides of the container,into the grooves I2 and sliding the frame along these cleats until thecleats 'l on the bottom of the container are engaged in the bottom orlower grooves I I of the vertical members 9.

After the primary frame unit is positioned within the container and thearticle to be supported has been placed therein, a second blocking unitmay be employed to brace the article from the top of the container aswell as laterally. As shown in Fig. 3, this secondary blocking unit maycomprise a transversely extending member i3, arranged to extend fromside-to-side of the co-ntainer and having its ends cut out as at I4 soas to nt over and around the vertical members S of the primary frameunit.

As shown the transverse member I3 is provided with attached downwardlyprojecting members or legs I5 which are arranged to directly engageeither the article to be supported, or the cross member le when themember I3 rests upon or is engaged by the article to be supported, thelegs I5 being positioned wherever convenient with respect to thesupported article.

An upstanding element I6 of such length as to reach from the member I3to the topI of the box, when the same is closed and the member I3 isproperly positioned, is also provided as a part of the secondaryblocking unit and is provided with a transverse groove I'I in its upperend to receive the intermediate cleat 'I attached to the top of the box.

In this manner a rigid bulkhead or framework is provided to amplysupport an article packed within the container, which bulkhead comprisessimple, convenient, prefabricated blocking units arranged to intert witheach other and to interlockingly engage the Ytransverse reinforcingcleats which comprise a partY of the usual container structure. Thesupporting bulkhead is thus not only locked in place within thecontainer without the use of fastening means, but is also arranged sothat it, as well as the article packed within the container, is amplybraced and supported from every direction.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, laterally projecting supporting blocks,such as the block I8 shown attached to one of the members 9, may beprovided wherever desired. When such blocks are necessary they areassembled onto the blocking unit at the time the same is prefabricated,the blocks i8 being secured by any suitable means, such as thecorrugated fasteners I9.

In use the herein described invention will be mainly employed inestablishments where many articles of substantially uniform size andshape naiie'aof'sii are to be individually crated or packed for ship-zment. Containers of the proper size and construction will be provided asusual except that, in the fabrication of the containers, the location ofthe intermediate transverse cleats will be predetermined to suit thearticle for which the container is designed. The blocking units will bemade up according to predetermined plan to properly fit and support vthearticle to be packed and these units, comprising preassembled members ofproper size and arrangement, will be deliver-ed to the packers inquantities along with the containers. A

Thus when packing the article to be supported, the packer has merely toslide the proper blocking units into place along the intermediate cleatsof the container during the packing operations and any necessity ofbuilding and nailing blocking members into the container, piece by pieceas in the usual practice, is obviated.

The main advantages of this invention lie in the increased efliciency onthe part of the packers and the reduced cost of packing materials. Theblocking units may be expertly designed with the view to eliminatingwaste and fabricated in the mill by machinery and expert workmen so thatthe actual packing operations may be accomplished by relativelyunskilled labor. Time is thus saved in the packing operations and theshipper is positively assured that each article is properly and safelypacked.

Although but one specic embodiment of this invention is herein'shown anddescribed, it will be understood that details of the construction shownmay be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of thisinvention as deiined by the following claims:

I claim:

1. The combination with a container havingfa series of internal cleatsextending transversely around its walls intermediate its ends, ofblocking arranged to support the contents of said container andcomprising an assembled frame spanning the space between the walls ofsaid container, the portions of said frame adjacent the walls of saidcontainer having grooves formed to receive and embrace said cleatswhereby said frame will slidably engage said cleats and be securelyinterlocked against displacement.

2. The combination with a container having a series of internal cleatsextending transversely around its walls intermediate its ends, ofblocking arranged to support the contents of said container andcomprising preassembled members spanning the space between the walls ofsaid container, the portions of said members adjacent the walls of saidcontainer having grooves formed to receive `and embrace said cleatswhereby said blocking is interlockingly engaged with said cleats andsecurely held in place.

3. The combination with a container having a series of internal cleatsextending transversely around its walls at a predetermined locationintermediate yits ends, of blocking arranged to support the contents ofsaid container and comprising preassembled members spanning the spacebetween the walls of said container, said members being arranged tosupport said contents from the walls of said container and to interlockwith each other, and the portions of said members adjacent the walls ofsaid container having grooves formed to receive and embrace said cleatswhereby said blocking is interlockingly engaged with said cleats andsecurely held in place,

4. The combination with a container having a series of internal cleatsextending transversely around its walls intermediate its ends, ofblocking arranged to support the contents of said container andcomprising preassembled blocking units spanning the space between thewalls of said container, said units being arranged to support said-contents from the walls of said container and to interlock with eachother, and the portions of said units adjacent the walls of saidcontainer having grooves formed to receive and embrace said cleatswhereby said blocking is interlockingly engaged with said cleats andsecurely held in place.

5. The combination with a container having a series of internal cleatsextending transversely around itswalls intermediate its ends, ofblocking arranged to support an article packed within said container andcomprising preassembled blocking units arranged to engage said articleand span the space between the walls of said` container, said unitsbeing of predetermined form to t said article, the portions of saidunits adjacent the side walls lof said container having grooves formedto slidably receive the side ones of said cleats respectively, and theportions of said units adjacent the top and bottom of said containerhaving grooves arranged to receive and embrace the top and bottom onesof said cleats respectively.

6. 'I'he combination with a wire-bound box comprising side, top andbottom panels foldable into box formation and having a series ofinternal cleats extending transversely around its walls intermediate itsends, of blocking comprising a preassembled unit arranged to engage andsupport an article packed in the box, said blocking having membersextending to the walls of said box, and said members having grooves inthe portions adjacent the said walls arranged to receive and t the saidinternal cleats whereby said blocking will be rigidly interlocked withthe box structure.

'7. A shipping container having a series of internal cleats extendingtransversely around its walls at a predetermined location intermediateits ends, and a preassembled blocking unit designed and arranged toengage and support an article packed in said package, said blocking unithaving members extending to and adjacent the walls of said package, andsaid members having grooves therein arranged to receive and embracinglyt said internal cleats, said blocking unit being arranged to be slidablyengaged with said cleats when inserted into said package from an openside thereof.

JOHN R. MILLER.

